A Little Red Pepper Livens Up Pasta Sauce

A tiny sprinkling of hot red pepper is all you need to add a deliciously devilish touch to the simple, very low-fat pasta dish called Farfalle Fra Diavolo. Just a quarter-teaspoon of red pepper gives the meatless vegetable and tomato sauce a decided spiciness without overpowering the taste.

In Italian, “Fra Diavolo” means “Friar Devil” or “Brother Devil.” However, this dish is so low in fat, you will have little to repent for. Each serving contains a mere 2 grams, or 18 calories’ worth, of fat.

The sauce is made with a technique called “steam frying,” in which you cook the vegetables in rapidly boiling liquid instead of hot oil or butter. Steam frying thoroughly cooks the vegetables, but leaves them crisp, so you can enjoy their natural taste and texture in the sauce.

When shopping for spaghetti sauce to make Farfalle Fra Diavolo or any pasta dish, carefully read the nutrition facts printed on the package label. Some pasta sauces contain an alarming amount of fat. Look for those brands that contain 1 gram of fat or less per serving. If you are on a low-sodium diet, also look for brands in which the number of calories and milligrams of sodium are approximately the same.

Farfalle Fra Diavolo

3 tablespoons dry white wine or dry vermouth

3 tablespoons water

1/4 teaspoon ground hot red pepper

1 teaspoon dried basil leaves

1-1/2 cups diced yellow onion (1 medium onion)

1/2 cup diced yellow bell pepper

1/4 cup diced green bell pepper

1 cup sliced mushrooms (about 5 small mushrooms)

2 cloves garlic, crushed through a press

2 cups chunky-style low-fat spaghetti sauce

3 cups dry farfalle (bow tie) pasta

2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

In a large, nonstick skillet, combine the wine and water and bring to a boil. Add the ground hot red pepper, basil and yellow onion and boil rapidly for 2 to 3 minutes.

Add the yellow and green bell pepper and cook for 3 to 4 minutes longer, until the liquid has evaporated. Stir in the mushrooms, garlic and spaghetti sauce and reduce heat to low. Simmer for 6 to 7 minutes.

Cook the pasta according to package directions. When pasta is tender, drain and pour it into a large, heated serving bowl. Pour the pasta sauce on top and toss well. Sprinkle with the Parmesan cheese and serve immediately.

Yield: 5 servings.

Nutrition information per serving: 264 calories, 10 grams protein, 52 grams carbohydrate, 2 grams fat, (7 percent fat calories), 2 milligrams cholesterol, 595 milligrams sodium.

The following fields overflowed: SUPCAT = COLUMN, RECIPE - On the Light Side